APHIS Removes the Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) Quarantine in North Hills, Los Angeles County, California

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2022-37
October 18, 2022

To:  State and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials 

Effective September 26, 2022, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) removed the Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis or OFF) quarantine in the North Hills area of Los Angeles County, California. 

On July 1, 2022, APHIS and CDFA established an OFF quarantine in the North Hills area of Los Angeles County and restricted interstate movement of regulated articles from this area to prevent the spread of OFF to non-infested areas of the United States. This action was necessary in response to the confirmed detections of 14 adult male OFF from four sites in the North Hills area by CDFA between June 22 and June 28, 2022, all from traps in various types of fruit trees in residential areas. 

Since that time, APHIS has worked cooperatively with CDFA and the Los Angeles County Department of the Agricultural Commissioner to eradicate the transient OFF population through various control actions per program protocols. APHIS removed the quarantine area after three OFF life cycles elapsed with negative detections in this area. 

The following website contains a description of all the current Federal fruit fly quarantine areas: 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/ff-quarantine 

For additional information on the Oriental fruit fly quarantine area, please contact Fruit Fly National Policy Manager, Richard Johnson, at (301) 851-2109 or richard.n.johnson@usda.gov. 

/s/ 

Dr. Mark L Davidson
Deputy Administrator 
Plant Protection and Quarantine